The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments, with the Apocryphal books,

CAP. III.

[verse 1] And Judas, that was clepid Macha|beus, the sone of Matatias, roos for hym. [verse 2] And alle hise britheren helpiden hym, and alle that ioyneden hem to his fadir, and thei fouȝten the batel `of Israel [Om. R.] with gladnesse [greet gladnes R.] . [verse 3] And he alargide glorie to his puple, and clothide hym with an ha|buriowne as a giaunt, and girde [girte C et plures.] hym with hise armeris of batel in batels, and defendide castels with his swerd. [verse 4] He was maad lijk [like to R.] a lioun in hise werkis, and as a [Om. R.] whelp of lioun [a lioun FR.] rorynge in his huntyng. [verse 5] And he [Om. R.] pursuede wickid men, and souȝte hem; and he brente hem in flawmes, that disturbliden his puple. [verse 6] And hise enemyes weren put abac for drede of hym, and alle

worcheris of wickidnesse [wicknesse N.] weren troblid to gidere; and heelthe was dressid in his hond. [verse 7] And he wraththide many kyngis, and [and he I.] gladide Jacob [Jacob, that is, puple of Israel C et ceteri, præter R.] [Jacob, that is, the puple of Israel. A.] in hise werkis, and in to world his mynde is in blessyng. [verse 8] And he wente thorouȝ the citees of Juda, and loste vnpitouse men of hem, and turnede awei wraththe fro Israel. [verse 9] And he was named til to the vtmest of erthe, and he gaderide men perischynge. [verse 10] And Appol|lyne gaderide folkis, and fro Samarie myche vertu, and greet, for to fiȝte aȝens Israel. [verse 11] And Judas knew, and wente out aȝens hym, and smoot, and slow hym. And many woundid fellen doun, and the othere [tother R.] fledden; and he took preies of hem. [verse 12] And Judas took awei the swerd of Appollyne, and was fiȝtynge therwith [ther|ynne R.] in [Om. I.] alle daies. [verse 13] And Seron, prince of the oost of Sirie, herde, that Judas gaderide a gaderyng, and the chirche of feithful men with hym. [verse 14] And he seide, Y schal make to me a name, and Y schal be glorified in the rewme, and Y schal ouercome Judas, and hem that ben with hym, whiche dispisiden the kyngis word. [verse 15] And he made redi hym; and the castels of vnpitouse men, stronge helperis, stieden vp with hym, for to do veniaunce on the sones of Israel. [verse 16] And thei neiȝiden `til to [vn to I.] Betheron; and Judas wente out aȝens hem, with fewe men. [verse 17] Forsothe as thei siȝen the oost comynge to hem in metinge, thei seiden to Judas, Hou moun we fewe fiȝten aȝens so greet multitude, so strong; and we ben maad weri bi fastyng this dai? [verse 18] And Judas seide, It is liȝt, `ether esy [Om. R.] , that many be closid togidere in hond of fewe; and difference is not in siȝt of God `of heuene [Om. R.] , for to delyuere in [verse 19] manye ether in fewe; for not in multitude of oost is the victorie of batel, but of heuene is strengthe. [verse 20] Thei comen to vs in rebel multitude, and pride, for to distrie vs, and oure wyues, and oure sones, and for to robbe vs. [verse 21] Forsothe we schulen fiȝte for [verse 22] oure lyues, and oure lawis; and the Lord

hym silf schal al to-breke hem bifore oure face; forsothe drede ȝe not hem. [verse 23] Sotheli as he ceesside for to speke, he hurlide in [Om. EFPMU.] `in to [in X.] hem sudenli; and Seron was al to|brokun, and his oost, in the siȝt of hym. [verse 24] And he pursuede hym in the goynge doun of Betheron, til in to the feeld; and eiȝte hundrid men of hem fellen doun, the othere forsothe fledden in to the [Om. R.] lond of Filistiym. [verse 25] And the drede of Judas, and of his britheren, and the inward ferdnesse, felle on alle hethene men in cumpas of [verse 26] hem; and the name of hym cam to the kyng, and alle folkis telden of the bateils of Judas. [verse 27] Sotheli as king Antiok herde these wordis, he was wrooth in soule; and he sente, and gaderide the [al the R.] oost of al his rewme, ful [and ful I pr. m.] stronge castels. [verse 28] And he openyde his treserie, and ȝaf sowdis to the oost, in to a ȝeer, and comaundide hem, that thei schulden be redi to alle thingis. [verse 29] And he sai, that money failide of hise tresouris, and tributis of the cuntrei weren litil, for dissencioun and veniaunce that he dide in the lond, for to do awei the lawful thingis that weren of the [Om. A.] firste daies. [verse 30] And he dredde, that he schulde not haue as onys and twies in to costis and ȝiftis, whiche he hadde ȝouun bifore with large hond; and he was riche ouer kingis that weren bifore hym. [verse 31] And he was astonyed in soule greetli, and thouȝte for to go in to Persis, and for to take tributis of cun|treis, and for to gadre myche siluer. [verse 32] And he lefte Lisias, a noble man of the kyngis kyn, on the kingis nedis, fro the flood [verse 33] Eufrates til to the flood of Egipt; and that he schulde nursche Antiok, his sone, til he cam aȝen. [verse 34] And he [Om. I.] bitook to hym the half of the oost, and olifauntis, and comaundide to hym of alle these [Om. R.] thingis that he wolde, and of men enhabitynge [verse 35] Judee and Jerusalem; and that he schulde sende to hem an oost, for to al to-breke, and to [Om. R.] distrie vttirly the vertu of Israel, and relifs [the relifs R.] of Jerusalem, and for to do

[verse 36] awey the mynde of hem fro place; and for to ordeyne dwelleris sones aliens in alle the coostis of hem, and bi lot for to departe the lond of hem. [verse 37] And the kyng took a part of the residue oost, and wente out of Antiochie, citee of his rewme, in the hundrid and seuene and fourti [fourtithe CFGNPX.] ȝeer; and passide ouer the flood Eufrates, and wente thorou the hiȝere cuntreis. [verse 38] And Lisias chees Tholome, the sone of Dorym, and Nycanore, and Gorgie, miȝti men of the kyngis frendis. [verse 39] And he sente with hem fourti thousynde of [Om. R.] men, and seuene thousynde of [Om. R.] hors men, `ether knyȝtis [Om. R.] , that thei schulden come in to the lond of Juda, and distrie it, bi the [Om. I.] word of the kyng. [verse 40] And thei wenten forth, for to go with al her pouer [pouer A sec. m. sup. ras. vertu ceteri.] ; and thei camen, and londiden [londiden A sec. m. sup. ras. applieden, ether felden [fellin EP. fellen FM] to CEFGHIKMNPQSUXe. applieden R.] at Ammaum, in the feeldi lond [lond of Juda S.] . [verse 41] And marchauntis of cuntreis herden the name of hem, and token siluer and gold ful miche, and children, and camen in to castels, for to take the sones of Israel in to seruauntis; and the oostes of Sirie and the londis of aliens weren addid to hem. [verse 42] And Judas siȝ, and his britheren, that yuelis weren multiplied, and the oost ap|pliede, `ether londide [or londede EP. Om. R.] , at the coostis of hem; and thei knewen the wordis of the kyng, whiche he comaundide the puple for to do, in to perischyng and endyng. [verse 43] And thei seiden, ech man to his neiȝbore, Reise we the castyng doun of oure puple, and fiȝte we for oure puple, and oure hooli thingis. [verse 44] And comyng togidere of oost was gaderid, for to be redi in to batel, and for to preie, and axe merci, and merciful doyngis. [verse 45] And Jerusalem was not enha|bitid, but was as desert; ther was not that entride and wente out, of children therof; and the hooli thing was defoulid, and sones of aliens weren in the hiȝ tour, ther was the dwellyng of hethene men; and the likyng was don awei fro Jacob, and pipe and harpe failide there. [verse 46] And thei weren gaderid, and camen in to Mas|phat

aȝens Jerusalem; for place of preier was in Masphat, sunnere than in Jerusa|lem. [verse 47] And thei fastiden in that dai, and clothiden hem with hairis, and puttiden aisch in her heed, and renten her clothis. [verse 48] And thei spredden abrood bookis [To shewe, that thei weren redi to putte forth hem self to perels of deth for the lawe. Lire here. EK PQU.] of lawe [the lawe I.] , of the [Om. N.] whiche hethene men souȝten [verse 49] licnesse of her symylacris; and thei brouȝten ournementis of prestis, and `firste fruytis [primyssis C et ceteri.] , and tithis; and thei reis|iden Nazareis that hadden fillid daies. [verse 50] And thei crieden with greet vois to he|uene, and seiden, What schulen we do to these, and whidur schulen we lede hem? [verse 51] And thin hooli thingis ben to-trodun, and defoulid, and thi prestis ben maad [verse 52] in to mourenyng, and in to dispisyng [castynge doun, ether [that is K] dispisyng CEFGH IKMNPQSUXe. castyng doun R.] . And lo! naciouns camen togidere aȝens vs, for to distrie vs; thou wost what thingis thei thenken aȝens vs. [verse 53] Hou schu|len we mow withstonde bifore the face of hem, no but thou, God, helpe vs? [verse 54] And thei crieden in trumpis, with greet vois. [verse 55] And aftir these thingis Judas ordeynede duykis of the puple, tribunes [tribunes, that oon ledde a thousand CEFGHIKMNPQSUXe.] [tribunes; that is, ledinge a thousynde. centuriouns; ledinge an hun|drid. pentacon|trarkis; ledinge fifti. decuri|ouns; ledynge ten. A.] , and cen|turiouns [centuriouns, ether ledynge an hundrid CEFGHIKMNPQSUe. centuriouns, oon ledinge an hundrid X.] , and pentacontrarkis [pentacontarkis, lederis of fifti CEFGHIKMNPQSUX. pentakontarkis, that is, lederis of fifti e.] , and decu|riouns [decuriouns, lederis of ten CEFGHIKMNPQSUX. decuriouns, that is, lederis of ten e.] . [verse 56] And he seide to these that bild|iden housis, and wediden wyues, and plauntiden vyne ȝerdis, and to dredeful men, that thei schulden turne aȝen, eche man in to his hous, bi the lawe. [verse 57] And thei mouyden castels [castels, ether oost of armed men CEFGHIKMN PQSUXe.] , and thei settiden togi|dere at the south of Ammaum. [verse 58] And Ju|das seide, Be ȝe gird, and be ȝe miȝti sones, and be ȝe redi `in the [in to I.] morewnyng [morwenyng into batel R.] , and that ȝe fiȝte aȝens these naciouns, that camen togidere for to distrie vs, and oure hooli thingis. [verse 59] For betere is [it is I.] , that we die in batel, than for to se yuels of oure folc and holi thingis. [verse 60] Sotheli as wille [thi wille F pr. m.] schal be in heuene, so be it don.